


Brightest Blue

by GarbageVanFleet



Category: Greta Van Fleet (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/M, Friends to Lovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-15 21:34:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28945224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GarbageVanFleet/pseuds/GarbageVanFleet
Summary: Things are changing. New state. New school. New roommate. You just pray things are going to click into place.
Relationships: Josh Kiszka/Reader
Comments: 1
Kudos: 7





	1. Chapter 1

The scenery in Michigan was vastly different than back home. You were used to and comfortable with the nearly unforgiving heat of the American South West, but the farther away you got from home, the more foreign everything seemed. The scrubland slowly started being replaced by emerald green grass and dense forests of towering pines. Once you hit Illinois, little farmsteads were scattered along every road you took, boasting fields thick with corn and beans. 

It was a bit over a full day’s worth of driving. You had originally thought you could just drive right through - after all, you were young and you had plenty of caffeine at the ready. In reality, you wound up digesting the trip over two days. 

You were a fortunate enough person that you had a reliable car, which made up for the fact that it wasn’t very pretty to look at. It didn’t exactly  _ sip _ gas, but that had never even been a concern before this - it wasn’t very often that you left home, let alone make a trip across the country. But you were able to breathe a sigh of relief when you started seeing the exit signs for Ann Arbor. 

Your parents had been a bit judgemental about you picking a school so far away - they were even worse homebodies than you, and they knew that you being across the country meant they wouldn’t be seeing you until the school year was over - but there was no way you could turn down an opportunity like this one. You had worked your ass off to qualify for a scholarship, knowing full well that there was no way you could afford higher education otherwise. MU hadn’t been your very first choice but with one of the better programs in the country for your desired field, you just couldn’t turn it down. 

You had to pull over into a McDonald’s parking lot to pull up the address you were looking for and program it into your phone’s GPS before continuing further into the city. Your mother had been particularly wary about your living situation. See, she was a woman that adamantly liked to have a plan and then stick to it - she didn’t see any value in just letting things happen. “Go with the flow” wasn’t in her vocabulary, but you’d always romanticized the idea. Which was why, when you pulled up to the apartment that you were going to be living in for the next year, it was the first time you’d ever seen it. 

You had found the listing on the Facebook marketplace for the area, looked at a couple of pictures, and signed the lease agreement online - all without knowing what you were really in for. You’d been informed that you’d have a roommate when you’d contacted the landlord, but she hadn’t mentioned a thing about the person other than that. All she really said was “no pets, no smoking, and one month’s rent for the security deposit. You had told yourself that it didn’t really matter what the situation was as long as the other person wasn’t outwardly malicious and the place wasn’t infested with pests or anything, even though you knew it mattered  _ a little _ . 

An audible sigh of relief left your lips when you pulled into the apartment parking lot and found that your new home looked well kept. The building had old, slide-up windows, but the brick siding was clean, and the shrubs that lined the property were trimmed and neat. You and your back seat stuffed to max capacity with house plants had made it - and with only a bit of sleep deprivation and caffeine jitters for damages. 

After you got out of the car, you grabbed your very favorite potted cactus and found your way into the building, meandering down the dim hall until you came upon the door marked  **6** . You hadn’t been given a key yet, so you knocked with your free hand and waited until you heard someone shuffling around inside.

You would be lying if you said you weren’t nervous - obviously, you were - but more than anything you were excited. Anxious, maybe? That seemed like the right word. 

The door opened to reveal a boy, around your age, hair a mess of curls on the top and shorn tighter to the sides of his head. You were immediately taken aback by the depth in his eyes, chocolatey and warm. 

  
  


“What’s up?” he asked casually, leaning against the door frame, a pair of old-school headphones dangling from his hand. 

You frowned at him slightly, suddenly terrified you’d gotten the wrong apartment number. You weren’t sure how you’d live with that embarrassment, especially if you had to live next door to him - you’d just be that stupid girl that didn’t even know where she lived. “Oh, I think I’m your new roommate? This is number six, right?” You peered around the other side of the open door, just to confirm.

A beaming grin spread over his soft face, showing you his blindingly white teeth and the deepest pair of dimples you’d ever seen. “Oh, cool, yeah. Come on in.”

  
  


He stepped aside, giving a dramatically flourished bow as a gesture for you to enter. You obliged, and even though this was your new house too, you paused and waited as he shut the door behind you. 

  
  


“Sorry, I was expecting you yesterday, so.” He trailed off with a sheepish smile and then extended his free hand to you. “Anyway, I’m Josh.” 

  
  


You shifted your cactus to one arm so you could shake his hand. “Y/N. Yeah, sorry, it took me longer than I expected to get here. Which is why my stuff apparently showed up before I did.”

  
  


You eyed around the apartment, spotting boxes of your things in piles. The original plan your parents had come up with was to have you rent a U-Haul, but since you’d never driven anything bigger than your Camry, you had quickly shot that idea down. After some expert negotiating, they had agreed to hire a moving company. You hadn’t had the balls to ask what a service like that had set them back - decided instead that it was better if you didn’t know. 

  
  


“Oh yeah,” he replied, rubbing at the back of his neck. “It all showed up yesterday at like noon. One of the boxes was open a little, and I saw records so I looked through them to make sure you weren’t some kind of freak.”

  
  


It was more of a statement than a warning, and the smile he gave you showed not even a shred of an apology so you just smiled back. “Find anything you like?”

  
  


He turned on his heel and headed into the kitchen - connected to the living room by a huge square archway. “Your music taste is,” He paused, opening a cupboard and pulling down two mismatched glasses. “Eclectic.”

  
  


You laughed at him, bending to gently set your plant down on a side table. “That’s true.” 

  
  


“But I found plenty I could listen to, so I guess you’re okay. You want some juice?” he asked as he held up a paper carton of store brand orange juice. 

  
  


“That would be lovely,” you agreed, standing stick straight the way you did when in the presence of new company. “My dad used to take me to a lot of thrift stores and we’d go home with a minimum of two records per trip.”

  
  


“I love thrifting,” he said simply, giving you an alarmingly serious look. “There are three here, I think. Every once in a while you can find something really worth keeping. I have kind of a ‘catch and release’ policy where if I don’t instantly know what I’m going to do with an item, I leave it there, but I think - like - a third of my wardrobe is from thrift stores.”

  
  


You listened, feeling oddly entranced by the way he was handing you thoughts as they came to him. There was something truly honest about it - a quality people back home didn’t seem to have. It was charming. 

  
  


He brought your glass of juice to you and then motioned to the rest of the apartment. “You want the grand tour of Casa De Joshua-” He gave you a pointed look and a cheesy grin. “And Y/N?” 

  
  


You breathed a laugh at him, nodding as you sipped. “Please.”

  
  


“Okay, try not to get lost - this is obviously the living room. I do most of my living here as the name would suggest. I found this couch on the side of the road - actually almost all of my furniture is adopted.” As he explained, he was gesturing to items like Vanna White.

  
  


The couch looked. Well-loved. You could tell just at a glance that it was probably past it’s prime when Josh had stumbled upon it, but it  _ did _ look comfortable, and it wasn’t like you had a couch to offer, so you were happy with it. 

  
  


“I have this TV but it’s really only for movies and stuff because I’m twenty-two and I’d rather die than pay for cable. But there are literally hundreds of DVDs in the TV stand that you are welcome to peruse at your leisure,” he informed, his hands gesturing almost arbitrarily as he talked. 

  
  


You followed as he moved on through the archway. “This is the kitchen. All of the food lives here. There’s lots of stuff, but I try to just make two bigger meals per day. I don’t have a real ice tray so I’ve been using a chocolate mold- Well anyway, our ice will be in the shape of wiener dogs.”

  
  


You were shocked at the laugh that escaped you, genuine and uncontrolled. He grinned over at you, clearly also surprised - but pleased with himself for getting the reaction he was aiming for. 

  
  


“I think I can live with that.” 

  
  


“Good,” he agreed simply, giving you a new kind of smile - something sweeter. After a beat, he motioned down the hall with his eyes, letting you lead. “The bathroom is this way. The water takes like three or four minutes to get hot. I realized that I have a lot of products for some reason, but I condensed them all into this one area in the corner just in case my new roommate was a girl, and you are so that’s great. I’ll probably get a shelf.”

  
  


There was a proud quality to his voice like he felt gentlemanly for letting you have all the space you needed. For some reason, that made you feel warm and fuzzy. 

  
  


“And what if your new roommate had been a boy?” you inquired with a smirk. 

  
  


He put a finger on his chin, taking on a contemplative look for you. “Hmm. Then I guess I slowly would have moved my stuff back to the cabinet - probably just one thing per day so he wouldn’t notice. Unless he had a lot of makeup or something, then I’d just let him have it.” 

  
  


He grinned as you teasingly shook your head. 

  
  


“This way is the sleeping quarters. My room is there on the right and yours to the left.”

  
  


You stepped into your new room and let a sigh of relief. Two huge windows took up a lot of the far wall, framed underneath by large sills. The space was bright and roomier than you’d pictured. Your bed was set up in the very middle of the room, but you already knew exactly where you wanted it to go. For some reason, you had been concerned that you wouldn’t like the space, but it was kind of perfect. 

  
  


“This is great,” you breathed, turning to him and giving him a sly grin. “Wanna give me a hand moving my furniture around?”

  
  


He pretended to consider for a moment until you spoke again. 

  
  


“My mom sent money for pizza while I get stuff unpacked,” you said coyly. “If you needed any convincing.”

  
  


He laughed, showing you his teeth. “You drive a hard bargain. Okay, I’ll help as long as I get to look through your stuff while we move it.”

  
  


You gave him a questioning look, earning a one-shouldered shrug in return. He looked benign enough standing there, propped against the door frame with a goofy upturn to his lips, so you relented. 

  
  
  


“Deal,” you agreed.

  
  


You were positive you would not have been able to move stuff without his help. For being a slender boy, he seemed to easily be able to get things where they needed to be. He dutifully helped you shove your furniture into place - your bed against the window wall, your desk and vanity on the wall with your closet door. Then, bless his little heart, he helped you move it all again when you decided you didn’t like the arrangement (but not without some light griping). 

One by one, you brought in your boxes from the living room and you allowed him to poke through them, perched on your bed. He flipped through your books, thumbing pages of ones that piqued his interest - you could only imagine that he was already planning on borrowing some of them. He reacted similarly to your framed photos, as he unwrapped them from their packing paper.

When you got your record player set up, he put on a vinyl and started to hang your art prints on the wall where you instructed him to. The look of concentration on his face was rather endearing as he held a few nails between his teeth and hammered them into the wall, one by one. There was a time or two you were convinced that he was going to mutilate his thumb, but he didn’t, and when the last picture was hung, you breathed a sigh of relief. 

You called in a pizza, adorned with his requested toppings as you hung your clothes into your closet, your phone tucked against your ear and shoulder for maximum efficiency. 

Plants collected on your bed until there was no more room for them - after that, he started setting them on the floor as he brought them in from your car. He didn’t seem to be judging the sheer amount of them, even though he had every right to. 

  
  


“It’s going to look like a jungle in here,” he stated finally as he took a bite out of a slice of pizza that he was holding like a taco, his eyes raking over all of the foliage scattered around your room. Rather than sounding like he was teasing, his tone seemed excited. 

You grinned at him, starting to arrange them on the window sill and your bookshelf that had only ever served you as a plant shelf since you’d bought it. “Plants are my passion. Botany major,” you explained as you fluffed up your Monstera’s huge leaves. 

  
  


“Ooh.” He raised his eyebrows at you, pulling one of his legs up underneath him on your bed - now fitted with sheets. “I think that’s going to be nice. Give it some life in here.”

  
  


You grabbed another slice from the pizza box on your nightstand and tried to think of the right tone of voice to use to ask the next question. “How long have you lived here by yourself?”

  
  


He hummed, eyes flicking around distantly as he thought. “Well, I’ve lived here just over a year, and my first roommate dropped out and moved back home about...six months ago?”

  
  


“Have you been lonely? You seem like a social guy.” You gave him an empathetic look but he just shrugged at you. You hadn’t known him long enough to know for sure, but you suspected he was more affected than he was letting on. 

  
  


“I mean, a little lonely. But I got used to it for the most part.” He paused for a good couple of seconds before a smile spread across his lips. “And Penny’s kept me company.”

  
  


“Oh, does your girlfriend stay here too?” you prompted, trying to remember if you’d seen any feminine looking items lying around that weren’t yours.

  
  


“What? No,” he said under a chuckle and stood, gesturing for you to follow him across the hall. 

  
  


The second you walked through the doorway, you were met with the smell of incense sticks and linen. His room was dimmer than yours and kind of cramped with all of his mismatching furniture, but he had a huge bed - you thought it could easily fit three people in it. There were some clothes strewn about around a laundry hamper by the door and you tried to not be jealous that his closet seemed to be about twice the size of yours. 

He crossed the room to crouch in front of a coffee table that he seemed to be using as a catch-all. The varnish was worn off the top of it in rings because sitting on the coffee table was a globe of water and a calico colored goldfish swimming around aimlessly inside of it. 

  
  


“Ah, so this is Penny,” you giggled as you bent over next to him. When the fish spotted him, it rose to the surface of the water, opening its mouth in demand for food.

  
  


He grinned down at it. “Light of my life. We’re not allowed to have pets but I figured that a fish didn’t count.”

  
  


You hummed, admittedly a bit charmed by the whole situation. “But don’t goldfish require a lot of space?”

  
  


The smile fell from his face, adopting a level of concern you hadn’t yet seen from him as he peered over at you. “Do they?”

  
  


Immediately, you felt guilty for putting that look on his features. Your brain kick-started - trying to think of a way to make it right again. “I think so? Maybe we can find her a small tank? Put a few little plants in there for her?”

  
  


Josh nodded at you, stroking his fingers over the glass with a frown. “I’m a bad dad.”

  
  


“No, no!” you assured, putting your hand on his head but then removing it instantly when you realized that you didn’t really know him, he’d just already made you feel like you did. Either way, you figured it would be inappropriate to touch him. “You’re great. She looks really happy.”   
  


“She’s great at begging for food, so don’t get tricked,” Josh instructed after a moment, seemingly able to put his concerns aside to jest you.

  
  


You nodded in agreement. “I’ll be ever vigilant,” you promised, making him smile again. 

  
  


He stood back up, so you did as well. 

  
  


“Well, I’ll give you some time to get comfortable in your room,” Josh said, sitting back on his bed. “Let me know if you need anything, okay?” 

  
  


“I promise I will,” you assured, tapping your hand on the doorframe on your way out. 

  
  


By the time the sun was set, your room was shockingly well put together. The emotional rollercoaster that was the album Rumors helped you keep on task, losing yourself in the music so it didn’t feel like work at all. You hadn’t been expecting it to come along so quickly, but you guessed that was because you hadn’t anticipated such a friendly roommate. The nesting had always been your favorite part, so you took your time to enjoy placing out all your knick-knacks and photos. 

You took a break to shower when you decided you were done for the day, reveling in the feeling of the water after such a long time in your car - He was absolutely right about how long it took to warm up from ice cold. When you got out and changed into your pajamas, Josh was sitting in the living room with a laptop across his legs. 

  
  


“You wanna chill?” he asked when he heard you padding down the hall, shutting the lid of it and setting it on a side table. “Or if you’re too tired, that’s okay too.”

  
  


“No, no. I’d love to talk.” You sat next to him, leaving a comfortable amount of room between you as you pulled your knees up to your chin. “Tell me more about yourself,” you requested, tugging a blanket from a beat-up wicker basket on the floor and wrapping it around your body.

  
  


“Hmm, okay,” he started. You wondered how long it had been since he had to introduce himself to someone new. “I’m from a tiny little town here in Michigan. I’m the oldest of four - two brothers and a sister. My brother, Jake, also attends MU and lives just off campus.”

  
  


You frowned at him. “Wait, why wouldn’t he live with you?” you asked through a disbelieving laugh. 

  
  


“He lived with me long enough,” Josh explained in a humored tone. “There are only so many people where I’m from and well - we wanted to meet new people, you know?” 

  
  


“I guess I should be grateful for that.” 

  
  


“Yeah, probably,” he teased and then paused to think. “I’m in performing arts - I’m actually putting on a production around Christmas with some elementary school kids.”

  
  


You suppressed the aww that was threatening to pass your lips. “You like kids?”

  
  


He beamed you a smile, shaking his head. “Love them. I want to have like ten of them someday.”

  
  


The thought of him surrounded by kids made you soften. You were genuinely shocked about how easy he was to talk to - how easy he was to like. You had never thought in a million years you’d get along with your roommate so well, let alone the first day meeting them. 

  
  


“I hope you get to,” you said as genuinely as you could muster, prompting him to give you a grateful smile. 

  
  


A yawn escaped you before you could hide it, and you quickly breathed an apology, but he just waved you off. 

  
  


“You must be exhausted from that drive,” he said, his voice soft. “You should get some sleep.”

  
  


You nodded in agreement and gave him a thankful smile. “Is it okay if I sleep out here?”

  
  


The look on his face was quizzical, forcing a laugh from you. “Why would you do that?” 

  
  


“I have this tradition where whenever I’m in a new place, I always sleep in the living room on the first night. It’s good luck.” 

  
  


“Whatever you say.” His lips pulled back into an unconvinced smirk. “Well, yeah, you live here now too, so you can sleep wherever you’d like.”

  
  


He disappeared into his room for only a moment before popping his head back out, fingers wrapped around the door frame.

  
  


“Do you mind if I join you?” 

  
  


You tried not to look too taken aback by the question, but you could feel your cheeks flushing warm. You raked your eyes along the couch, entirely positive that there wasn’t enough space for the two of you to lay out on it together fully - at least, not without being pressed flush against one another. However, his face looked innocent and soft - not a single tint of mischief colored across his features.

  
  


“Yeah, that-. I guess that’s okay,” you agreed sheepishly with a shrug. “But I’m not sure we’ll both fit if I’m being honest.”

  
  


He frowned questioningly at you, his brows lacing together until he realized what you thought he meant. His face instantly turned a light shade of pink to match yours. “No, no,” he quickly assured in between a breathy laugh. “I’m not going to sleep  _ with _ you - I’ll take the recliner.” 

  
  


“Oh, right.” You gave a nervous laugh of your own, cursing yourself out in your head for being so dull. 

  
  


You were still well embarrassed as you made a nest of blankets on the couch and he brought out a pillow for you when you realized yours were still tucked deep in your bag of bedding. When each of you was situated on your respective pieces of furniture, he flicked the light off with a comfortable sigh. 

It was silent for a moment before he spoke again, his voice taking on a tone that was far too smug for your liking. “You were awfully quick to agree to sleep next to me. You don’t have a crush on me, do you?” 

  
  


You knew he was teasing, but your heart rate still managed to pick up under the pressure. You had never been particularly good with awkward social situations; you rolled your eyes in the dark, thankful he couldn’t see how red you were. “No, Josh. I do not have a crush on you.”

  
  


“Okay,” he said through a melodic laugh, and you got the feeling that he’d gotten the reaction he was aiming for from you. “Should we be best friends though?”

  
  


You snorted a laugh of your own, wanting to be annoyed at how likable he was, but falling short. “You are the most peculiar person I’ve ever met, I think.” You curled up, clutching your blanket tight to your body. “But yes. We can be friends.”

  
  


“Okay, cool - I’ll order matching t-shirts for us.” You could hear the pleased grin he was wearing, making you feel warm and cozy. You pulled the worn blanket up to your chin.

  
  


“See to it that you do.”


	2. Chapter 2

“I think in a past life, you were a circus guy,” you said, twirling some pasta around your fork and lifting it to your mouth. 

  
  


Josh laughed through pursed lips, trying not to spit out the bite he just took. “Like a barker? Or a ring leader?”

  
  


“Either! Just one of those natural showmen, you know? I couldn’t imagine you working at a bank - or wearing anything business casual.” 

  
  


As it were, you’d only until classes started, and while that felt like it was going to be a long time, you knew in your heart that it would fly by. You’d spent your time there so far getting your room comfortable enough to live in, hanging up all your clothes, and then commandeering part of Josh’s huge closet when yours wouldn’t fit your whole wardrobe. 

He grinned at you, his bare feet propped up on the arm of the couch. You wondered how he was eating while laying down, but you also didn’t want to watch too closely and make him uncomfortable. You were minorly concerned that he might choke though, so you decided you’d keep a sneaky eye on it. 

  
  


“Well, thank you. I guess I probably won’t need to worry about that too much,” he stated, slurping a noodle into his mouth before continuing. “I’ve pretty much resigned to the fact that someday I’ll be a sixty-year-old hippy trying to grow pot in a cottage somewhere in the boonies.”

  
  


You hummed amusedly at him, easily able to visualize the picture he’d just painted for you. “Pot is hard to grow - you need the right color lights and the right temperature and humidity - a lot of insider knowledge.”

  
  


“Hmm. I’ll probably need some help then.” He grinned over at you. “From say, a  _ botanist _ ?” 

  
  


You giggled under your breath. “Perhaps. That’s not exactly the direction that I was planning on going but, you never know. We would make a fun pair of drug lords.”

  
  


“What were you planning then?” he asked, sitting up and setting his empty bowl on the coffee table. You slung your legs over the side of the recliner to get more comfortable. 

  
  


“I’m hoping to learn more about sustainable gardening. You know - rain gardens, native plants to help the local pollinator population, growing your own food from heirloom seeds.”

  
  


“Sooo, also hippy shit?” he said through a laugh. You nodded at him. 

  
  


“I guess so.”

  
  


After a moment of comfortable silence, you stood and collected both of your dishes. In the kitchen, you started to fill the sink with hot water, pouring in a drop or two of dish soap. The suds instantly made the whole room smell like citrus. 

  
  


“What are you doing?” Josh asked, and when you turned to look at him, you saw that he had his chin hooked over the back of the couch like a child so he could watch you. 

  
  


“The dishes?” you replied, matching his questioning tone. You held a dirty fork up for him to see.

  
  


He frowned at you, shaking his head. “That’s boring. We should watch a movie.”

  
  


You gave him a disbelieving smile. “Don’t you like to have things clean?” His unbothered expression made you giggle under your breath. 

  
  


“I’m kind of a ‘put it off until it gets unbearable and then knocks it all out at once’ kinda guy.”

  
  


“Shocker.” Your tone was sarcastic but in a jesting way more than a mean one. Completely unaffected, he brushed right past it.

  
  


“Have you ever seen Hereditary?” he asked, sounding suddenly excited. “It’s about this kid that accidentally kills his little sister and then he slowly starts to go crazy and then you find out that- no, wait. I won’t tell you. We should just watch it, right?”

  
  


You took a second to admire how he could talk a mile a minute like it was a completely normal thing to do, and you were going to protest and promise him that you’d watch it with him after you did the dishes, but as soon as he was done speaking, he flung the doors open on the TV stand. Even though the couch blocked your view of him, you could hear as he hastily picked through DVDs. 

The idea of letting the dishes sit there so you could curl up on the couch was tempting in a way that felt naughty to you. You had spent your whole life staying on top of things because that’s the way your parents liked it, but you didn’t live with them anymore, did you? You flicked the water off, weirdly a little proud of yourself, and by the time you wiped your hands off and padded back into the living room, he had the movie popped in already. 

Through the beginning trailers, you watched out of the corner of your eye as he pulled out a baggie of weed and a little box of rolling papers. His fingers worked to expertly roll a perfect little joint, and as you sat next to him on the couch, he handed it to you. 

  
  


Your heart rate picked up a bit. You shook your head at him and said, “You go ahead.” 

  
  


“Ladies first,” he insisted with a cheesy grin, showing you his teeth. 

  
  


“No, it’s really okay. I’m not really-” You paused, trying to come up with the least lame way to say it. After a beat, you decided to keep it simple. “I’ve never smoked before.”

  
  


He huffed a surprised laugh, flicking the lighter to life and letting the tip of the joint sit on the flame until it caught. “Suit yourself,” he said through a sly grin.

  
  


You were not at all surprised to find out that he talked through a lot of the movie - pointing out little things about the camera work and details about the sets. You had always thought people that talked through movies were annoying, but you found yourself leaning towards him, waiting for him to tell you more. It was charming to you how he still jumped at all the easy scares, even though he’d clearly seen the movie - probably even more than once. 

But he was just kind of like that, you were finding. 

There hadn’t been a single person like him where you were from - at least none that you’d ever met. He had an optimism that you wanted to dislike but just couldn’t bring yourself to. You were, however, envious of it. It got you thinking about what your life would have been like if he’d been in it from the beginning. How would he have consoled you after your first breakup? Would he have sat by you in the school cafeteria at lunch and talked for three minutes straight? 

You didn’t know, but you did find out that after just the first week of living with him, he already felt like a more significant part of your life than your other friends had. All of them seemed like “take it or leave it” people now - none of them had even bothered to check if you’d made it to Michigan alright, and you didn’t quite miss any of them to reach out either. 

Josh, on the other hand, seemed to be overly caring for someone you’d known less than two weeks. He didn’t have to, but he told you every time he was making food to ask if you wanted any. You were awake at 1 am one morning, hanging and folding all of your clothes because you couldn’t sleep, and he popped his head in the doorway to ask if you wanted some off-brand cheez-its. 

He walked you all around campus once you’d gotten your school schedule sent to your email by MU’s automated mailer, showing you exactly where everything was. He must have been able to sense that you were still nervous about it, because he even promised he’d walk you to your first couple classes on the first day so you wouldn’t get lost, and even if he didn’t follow through, you still felt warmed by just the gesture. 

Being around him felt like being cared for, and - just like he had predicted - he was becoming a steadfast friend in record time. 

You brought it up to him while he was cooking breakfast for the both of you. It was just three days before classes began, and you were starting to feel the nerves creeping through your body like ivy rooting into a brick wall - you couldn’t seem to shake it.

  
  


“It didn’t take you an awfully long time to get used to me being here, huh?” you asked, sitting yourself onto a stool at the breakfast bar as you watched him patiently stir eggs around with a spatula. 

  
  


He peered over at you out of the corner of his eye. “Nah, it’s nice having someone around.”

  
  


The sentiment made you feel warm. “Were you nervous that I’d be a shitty roommate?”

  
  


He cracked a smile and shrugged. “I’m not really a  _ nervous _ guy. But the thought had crossed my mind.” He looked at you over his shoulder, meeting your gaze. “I knew you were going to be cool pretty much right away though.”

  
  


“What, really?” You tried not to sound surprised, especially since you kind of felt the same about him right away, now that you thought about it. 

  
  


“Yeah,” he agreed, and completely out of left field, said, “Can we go to Petsmart today too?”

  
  


Both of you had been planning for days that you would go out into the city today and get school supplies. He had seemed pretty excited that you had a car, explaining that he had been having to take the bus whenever he wanted to go somewhere. You laughed at him, constantly amused by how quickly he could change the subject. 

  
  


“Sure,” you replied warmly, watching his smile widen. 

  
  


“Do you think we’ll get to see dogs?” he asks dreamily as he brings the pan over to you and scoops a pile of scrambled eggs onto your plate. 

  
  


-

  
  


Josh was delighted to find out that there were, in fact, lots of dogs at Petsmart. He had been a completely normal person shopping for school supplies, but the second he got through the doors of the pet store, he was crouched on the linoleum to let a huge Shepherd puppy lick his face. 

  
  


“Josh, we should stay on task,” you laughed at him, putting your hand on his shoulder as he bent down to scoop up a very unamused looking dog the size of a football from the little pen in the center of the store. 

  
  


“What?! Are you seeing this guy?” he demanded and then held the dog so close to you that its nose almost touched yours. “Should we just get him? I wanna name him Rico.”

  
  


You rolled your eyes at him, opening your mouth to decline just as one of the employees firmly stated that he needed to put the dog back down. Josh just shot her his most charming grin, and as unaffected as the pup had looked in his arms, it still whined at him from the floor the second he put it down, looking like it was wishing he would give it more attention. 

You waited patiently as Josh perused the fish supplies, picking out a jar of this and a bottle of that, and when you went to check out, he paid with crumpled up bills and change. You gave the cashier an apologetic smile on your room mate’s behalf, but she looked like she’d been working in retail long enough to just grin and bear it. 

You spent the rest of the night getting all of your school supplies looking nice and organized in your new bag while you amusedly listened to him lament about how if he paid rent, he should be able to have one to five dogs (depending on their size). 

When he looked over at you for approval, you just shook your head, but it would have been impossible for anyone to not smile at him, and you were only human after all. 

  
  


-

  
  
  


On the first morning of school, you were awake at 5 am. The sun wasn’t even out yet, but you had set your alarm extra early so you could get up and get ready. You showered and blew your hair dry while listening to some bright sounding music, and by the time 7:45 rolled around, you felt as close to truly prepared as you could be. 

When Josh emerged from his room, his hair a mess of curls, he headed immediately to the coffee pot and poured himself a travel mug full. Since you had moved in, Josh had been waking up around ten, so you had made it a little extra strong, just for him.

It was just the beginning of September, and the weather hadn’t turned cool like you had heard it would, so you dressed yourself casually in light clothing. 

You had all your stuff together in your bag and were about to head out the door when you saw Josh slipping his shoes on. He was in a pair of jeans that were littered with distressed holes and a faded t-shirt.

  
  


You giggled at him. “Are you going to class like that?” 

  
  


“My classes don’t start until Wednesday,” he replied with a quirked eyebrow, voice raspy from sleep. You offered him back a quizzical expression.

  
  


“Oh. Then what are you doing?”

  
  


He huffed a laugh at you. “I promised I was going to walk you to class today, didn’t I? Unless you don’t want me to.”

  
  


He said the second half of the sentence in jest. 

  
  


“No, I totally do,” you firmly assured, nodding as you slung your backpack over your shoulder. 

  
  


He made good on his promise, delivering you not only to just the building but to the exact Biology lab that you were meant to be in. You were immensely grateful because even though he had shown you where everything was before, having him there felt like turning down the volume on your nerves. Just outside the doorway, he sipped at his coffee thermos and brushed off your thanks with a smile. You had been worried about the social aspect of starting school, but - much to your immense relief - people seemed to not even glance your way as they brushed past the two of you. 

  
  


You parted ways with him, forcing yourself through the door before you stopped being able to resist the urge to head back to your bed and tug the covers over your head for the rest of the day. 

You were sitting alone at your lab table, but when you sat back up from retrieving your drink from your backpack, you realized you weren’t anymore. 

  
  


A girl your age smiled back at you as you greeted her. Her hair was short and dark - just about to her shoulders, brushing against a thin gold chain on her neck as she pulled her chair closer to the table. 

  
  


“Hey, is it okay if I sit here?” she asked in a semi-hushed tone. 

  
  


The room was starting to come more to life, people starting to file in and fill the empty spots. You would be lying if you said you weren’t nervous about who would end up sitting by you, but she seemed sweet and clean. 

  
  


You nodded at her. “Of course. I’m Y/N.”

  
  


“Kate,” she replied, showing you her straight smile. “Is this your first year?”

  
  


You nodded at her sheepishly. “Yeah, how about you?”

  
  


“Nah, it’s my third actually. Are you just doing Gens?”

  
  


You frowned at her. “Gens?”

  
  


“Yeah, you know. Like gen eds? Core classes?” she explained patiently. You shook your head quickly, wondering if it was just too early in the morning for your brain to catch up because you’d definitely heard that term before. 

  
  


“Oh sorry, no,” you said through a laugh. “I’m going into Botany.”

  
  


“Oh, right on.” She gave you an impressed looking smile. “Plant girls are cool.”

  
  


You gave her a grateful look, even though you felt flustered by the compliment. “What are you going for?”

  
  


“Art history. This is just one of my required classes,” she explained, leaning all the way back in her seat to take on a slumped posture. 

You gave her an intrigued hum. She had her mouth open to continue, but the rest of the class fell more or less quiet as the professor entered the room. 

  
  


The whole class period was devoted to “getting to know” Dr. Rivers and going over the new syllabus. Usually, you found this stuff to be a waste of time, but for some weird reason, you were grateful that you weren’t just jumping right in. You had thought the first day would drag on, but you were pleasantly surprised that when he dismissed the class, it had felt like hardly any time had passed at all. 

As you gathered your things, Kate spoke again. 

  
  


“Hey, is it cool if we sit here again tomorrow? Last year I got stuck with some weird dude as my lab partner for the entire semester.”

  
  


You smiled at her, nodding quickly. The idea that you were tolerable enough to sit by was a small win, but you’d take it. “Yeah, that’d be great. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

  
  


“Count on it,” she agreed, standing with her binder pressed to her chest. You hadn’t realized how tall and slender she was until you saw her walking out the door, her mom jeans pulled up past her hips. You giggled to yourself as you realized she’d have to look down at Josh - and at you for that matter. 

Just as you stepped out into the hallway, you felt your phone buzz in the pocket of your backpack. You had to shift your stuff awkwardly, but you managed to retrieve it without catastrophe. 

  
  
  
  


**Josh 9:45 am**

_ you want me to bring you coffee on your lunch break? _

  
  
  
  
  


You clutched the phone to your chest like you were trying to give a hug to the idea of caffeine in general. 

  
  


_ Yes plz!  _ , you replied and waited.

  
  
  


**Josh 9:46 am**

_ k meet @ atrium :) _

  
  
  
  


Okay, so you only had to make it two more hours before then. You could do that, no problem. You tucked your phone into your front pocket and pulled out the folded map in return. Were you going to look like a stupid freshman if you walked with a map of the school? Yeah, definitely. Especially since Josh already showed you to all your class locations a week ago. You were even positive you knew where you were meant to be, it was just that the embarrassment of walking into the wrong room would maybe kill you. You’d have to drop out. 

In the end, you raked your eyes over the map - just in case. 

The next two classes went by without any incident. The syllabus for Math seemed like it would be a breeze, and you always were great with English, so that put you at ease. Your teachers so far had seemed mostly benign aside from your Math teacher seeming like he might be a bit of a hard ass, but you felt like you could handle that - you’d just work hard and keep your head down. 

Josh was waiting for you with a thermos of piping hot coffee, just as promised. He had changed into his more usual attire - something that looked like it came directly from Woodstock ‘69.

You took it from him gratefully and popped the lid. 

  
  


“Thank you, so much,” you gushed, taking a deep inhale of the steam that kissed your face. The rich smell was just familiar enough to instantly help calm you. 

  
  


“No problem,” he said with his lips tilted up on one side. “How are classes so far?” 

  
  


You nodded, knowing that the liquid would burn your tongue but risking it anyway. 

  
  


“They’re fine. Nothing too exciting really. You didn’t happen to bring lunch too did you?” you asked with a small frown as your stomach gurgled. 

  
  


He hummed and pulled a baggie of fruit snacks from his pocket. “I think this is all I’ve got.”

  
  


You took it from him gratefully. “No, this is great. Thank you.” 

  
  


He grinned at you, looking rather pleased with himself. “Let’s get you some fresh air.”

  
  


The nice weather took you by surprise as he lead you out into the quad. It had been gloomy that morning, but the noon hour brought bright sun and a light breeze - perfect Autumn weather for the area, you were told. 

  
  


“Why do you carry around fruit snacks?” you asked and stood in front of him as he sat on the top of a picnic table. The people that were sitting at the other end of it shot him a look, but he didn’t see - or probably care for that matter. 

  
  


He shrugged. “I mean, what if I get hungry? Or, alternatively, what if my roommate forgot to eat breakfast?”

  
  


You breathed a sheepish laugh at him, rubbing at the back of your neck. “Okay, that’s fair.” 

  
  


He rattled on about where his classes would be, come Wednesday, as he watched you pop gummies into your mouth, and you were happy for the company. The anxiety came back to you when you realized that you only had a few minutes left before you had to part ways again. 

  
  


“You can’t come with me to class, right?” you asked teasingly and cast your eyes to the grass. 

  
  


He hummed through a smile. “I don’t think so - they’d probably charge me for the semester.”

When you looked back up at him, he continued, just the slightest tint of concern on his soft features. “Is everything going okay?” 

  
  


You nodded quickly, not trying to worry him. “Yeah yeah, I’m just nervous.” 

  
  


“Maybe try to make a friend,” he suggested, gesturing to all the people in the quad with an open palm. 

  
  


“The girl that sits next to me in my Biology class seems really nice.” 

  
  


He shot you a smirk. “Is she cute?” 

  
  


Completely taken aback by the question, you shrugged, a heat rising on your cheeks. “I think so. What’s your type?” 

  
  


His smirk turned into a smug grin. “That is a great question,” he replied and then said nothing else as he stood and motioned for you to follow him to your next class. You shot him a questioning frown, but you knew in your heart that he’d already moved on from the topic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you can find more of me at garbagevanfleet.tumblr.com


	3. Chapter 3

To your pleasant surprise, you had a total of three classes with Kate. Biology, Philosophy, and Anatomy, and she made sure to sit close to you in every one of them. With the first day of classes behind you, you were able to breathe a sigh of relief. You had gone unnoticed by most, which you held as a comfort in the back of your head. 

When Wednesday rolled around, Josh walked you to school, a notebook tucked under his arm this time. You had prepared some coffee for the both of you, and you had had two days to get into the swing of packing lunches - nothing too extravagant, but enough to get you through the day. 

When you reached the atrium, you parted ways, agreeing to meet up at noon again, same spot. 

Kate was waiting for you when you sat down at your lab table. You smiled at her as she stretched her arms behind her head, seemingly trying to wake herself up. 

  
  


“I’m not used to these early ass classes,” she said. “I’ve been waking up at noon all summer long.”

  
  


You glanced down at your drink and slid the thermos across the slate tabletop. 

  
  


“You want some of my coffee? It’s my secret weapon.”

  
  


She laughed, wiping at her eyes. “I’m not sure how much of a ‘secret’ coffee is,” she teased, but took it from your grasp and popped the top. Her hair, tucked behind her ear, came to a sharp point by her chin and the dark color accentuated the movement of her throat as she sipped it down. 

  
  


“Maybe it would also help if you ate something for breakfast,” you suggested.

  
  


She licked her lips absently, seemingly working through the logistics in her head. “Yeah, I’m sure it would, but that would mean I’d have to wake up more than five minutes before I need to be out the door.”

  
  


The shrill sound of the bell swallowed your laugh.

-

Lunch came around just when you needed it to the most. Your English professor had thrown you the ultimate curveball, telling you - just three days in - that you’d need to prepare and present a piece on a book you hadn’t read yet. But reading a novel in a matter of days wasn’t the part that got you; it was the part where you’d have to stand in front of thirty people you didn’t know and talk about it at length. 

So, by the time you spotted Josh sitting on the railing by the stairs of the atrium, you were ready to breathe an audible sigh of relief. 

He looked perfectly comfortable - even happy - in a group of six other people, all standing around him in a crescent shape. They seemed to be having a lively conversation, reacting to him like the tide to the moon. One or two words and he had them all grinning. You waited patiently across the room, and a beat later, his eyes landed on you. As soon as he stood and excused himself, the other dispersed like he was the glue holding them there from the beginning. 

  
  


He greeted you with a honey-sweet smile, falling into pace with your steps as you headed out the doors. 

  
  


“How’s your day so far?” you asked, turning your head towards him to catch his answer. 

  
  


“It’s good,” he replied. “Nice to be back at it actually, even if my voice is a little rusty. How are you?”

  
  


“I’m fine-”

  
  


You went to continue, but he was sent forward an inch or two as someone punched the back of his arm from behind, knocking the breath from his lungs. You hadn’t been sure it wasn’t hostile until a guy wrapped his arm around Josh’s shoulder, pulling him into his side. 

  
  


Through a beaming grin, the man spoke. “Hey, dude! Where the hell have you been? I haven’t heard shit from you in forever!” 

  
  


You weren’t sure what to do other than to stand there awkwardly, thumbs hooked around the straps of your bag across your shoulders. When you realized the conversation would take longer than you cared to hang around for (also, you didn’t want to seem like you were eavesdropping), you made your way to a brick barrier across the grass and sat with your back against it. Josh shot you an apologetic smile, but you waved him off, pulling out your plastic baggies of food and laying them out next to you. Red grapes, string cheese, crackers, and carrot sticks - you counted it all off in your head. 

It took a couple of minutes before he could pull away, but he rushed to join you as soon as he could get the guy to stop talking for even a second.

  
  


“Hey, sorry,” he quickly muttered as he sat with his legs folded, one under the other. 

  
  


“No need to apologize,” you said, and meant it. “Here, I brought lunch.”

  
  


His eyes widened as he reached for the bag of grapes. “This is for me too? Wow, this is quite the spread.”

  
  


“Of course, it’s for you,” you said through a laugh, rolling your eyes at him. He laughed back, the sound coming out light and sunny. 

It was getting cooler. Even just in the couple of short weeks you’d been in Michigan, the weather was changing. You eyed him, dressed in a loose white t-shirt, and shivered out of sympathy. 

  
  


“What’s wrong?” he asked, his brows tipping up in concern. 

  
  


You shook your head and waved him off. “Nothing, just haven't acclimated yet.” 

  
  


He huffed a laugh, giving you a sympathetic look. “Well, you’d better hurry. Winter is coming,” he said dramatically through a grave expression. 

You rolled your eyes at him, popping a carrot stick into your mouth before you could say anything stupid.

  
  


-

  
  


After your lunch period was Philosophy. Josh had left you about fifteen minutes before you were due at class, explaining that he wanted enough time to set up for the next period. You think it was Theater for him, but you couldn’t be sure - he always talked a mile a minute, and often all you could do was nod and try your best to keep up.

  
  


Kate caught you in the hall, matching your pace quickly. 

  
  


“Hey,” she said, bumping her shoulder into yours lightly like you’d been friends for ages. “So. How was lunch?”

  
  


The question was innocent enough, but her tone paired with the glint in her eyes was not. You cocked your head at her, giving her a curious smile. 

  
  


“It was just fine; why do you ask?” 

  
  


She hummed and clutched her books tight to her chest. “I just. Couldn’t help but notice you cozying up to one of the Kiszka boys. What’s up with that?”

  
  


You snapped around to give her an alarmed look. “Who, Josh?” you asked, suddenly feeling like a complete moron for not realizing you’d never even asked his last name. 

  
  


“Yeah!” she agreed, giving you a smug look. “You know - curls, dimples, teeth so white you have to wear sunglasses to have a conversation with him.”

  
  


“Oh, he’s just my roommate,” you explained simply, but she looked unconvinced.

  
  


“Ah, really? Roommate and you also have a crush on him? That’s hot goss.”

  
  


You were turning the corner into the classroom then, but you paused just before you sat at your seat. You could feel your cheeks start to warm. 

  
  


“What? No,” you denied, setting your books on the tabletop, gently enough that they didn’t make a sound, and hanging your backpack from your chair. “No, he’s just a friend.”

  
  


She looked like she still didn’t believe you, but she didn’t say anything else. There were still a few moments before class started - your professor was busying himself at a file cabinet in the corner of the room, shuffling papers around hastily. You glanced over at her out of the corner of your eye, opening your mouth to speak a couple of times before you gained the courage to do so. 

  
  


“D-do you know anything about him?” you asked, just under normal speaking volume. 

  
  


She looked over at you with a grin, as if you even asking was like admitting that she was right - which she was not.

  
  


“Hmm, what could I say about him. He’s kind of the life of the party,” she started. “Loud, eccentric, confident. People seem to love being around him.”

  
  


All of that seemed to check out - that you already knew. “Does he party a lot?” you inquired. 

  
  


“He used to a lot more. I’ve hardly seen him at all this summer.” 

  
  


You frowned at nothing in particular, just a little offset by that. “Any reason why?” 

  
  


“I’m not sure,” she admitted after a beat. “He’s popular enough. Loads of people want to be around him, it seems.” 

  
  


You giggled to yourself at her dreamy tone. “If I didn’t know better, I’d guess that  _ you  _ have a crush on him.” 

  
  


She waved you off with a smile. “There is no denying that he’s cute, right? That much is obvious.”

  
  


You realized that she was waiting for you to answer after a second of silence. You rolled your eyes. “Yeah, I guess he’s a handsome guy.”

  
  


You wanted to ask more, but you weren’t sure what else to ask. You were going to try and continue the conversation after class, but it had run long, giving you just enough time to make it to Economics before being late. You opted to exchange numbers instead, handing your phone over to her and that’s how Kate ended up living in your contacts with a (self-appointed) bunny emoji next to her name. 

All the questions you had intended to ask her slipped from your head the second the next bell rang. 

  
  


-

Josh had sent you an apologetic text that you’d have to walk home alone, and he’d be done around six. The route back to the apartment was being familiar, and you were starting to enjoy Michigan. The freedom made you feel like a character in a teen movie and you took the time to relish it. 

You were just getting out of the shower when you heard the front door open. Your hair was still wrapped in a towel when you padded down the hall, already in your pajama pants despite it being only 6:30. Josh was on his tippy-toes, peering up into the cupboard above the sink that housed all the snacks but ultimately not finding what he was looking for.

  
  


“Hey, how was school?” you asked, watching as he pulled some leftovers out of the fridge. He popped the lid and smelled the container before setting them on the counter next to the microwave. 

  
  


“Good, I stayed late to start drawing up the outline for the musical. I’m going to have kids auditioning in two weeks, so I have to be ready.” 

  
  


He beamed every time he talked about the production, something he did often. You couldn’t help but smile back. 

  
  


“That’s so exciting,” you agreed, leaning over the open fridge door. “It’s all happening so fast.”

  
  


“You’re telling me! Did you eat yet?” 

  
  


You shook your head. “No, I haven’t,” you replied honestly.

  
  


“Okay, I’ll heat some for you too,” he said, not giving you a chance to respond. When dinner was finished, you sat down together in the living room, and it wasn’t thirty seconds later that he flicked his eyes up at you. 

  
  


“Hey, so. My friend is throwing this party tonight - 'supposed to be a real rager.”

  
  


“Oh, yeah?” You met his eyes. “Are you going to go?”

  
  


He nodded at you. “Yeah, could be fun. You wanna come?” 

  
  


You tried not to look too shocked, but you couldn’t help it. The look on your face made him breathe a laugh. 

  
  


“You’re inviting me?”

  
  


“Of course,” he said around a mouth full of mushroom ravioli like it was the most obvious thing in the world. 

  
  


You bit your bottom lip a moment, trying to buy a little time to process. “I’m not super good around a bunch of people. Also, I have a metric ton of homework to get through.” 

  
  


Even though he was good at hiding it, you could tell he was at least a little disappointed. 

  
  


“Rain check?” you asked hopefully, making his posture perk up a little.

  
  


“Yeah, of course,” he replied, nodding as the microwave timer sounded. 

  
  


“I have a presentation that I have to give on Monday and I’m not nervous about it  _ at all _ .”

You laced your fingers together under your chin anxiously. 

  
  


He gave you an assuring smile. “You’re going to do great,” he promised, handing you a bowl and a fork. 

When he could tell that you still weren’t convinced, he spoke again. 

  
  


“If you’re really worried about it, you can present it to me first.”   
  
  
You flicked your eyes up at him, trying to gauge if he was just being polite, or if he actually meant it. You decided that the answer was the latter as you found no trace of insincerity. 

  
  


“That might help a lot actually,” you agreed, nodding your head. “I’ll let you know when it’s finished?” 

  
  


He smiled back at you in affirmation. 

  
  
  


+++

  
  


You had tried to work in the living room, but you kept finding yourself getting distracted. First, it was the dripping sound that the kitchen sink always made, but even when you were finally able to block that out, your eyes kept catching on the clock on the DVD player flashing 00:00 perpetually. You knew that had you been working on a subject you actually cared about, it would be a lot easier, but you were stuck working on math, so it was no use. After about half an hour, you dragged everything into your room and posted up on your bed, back against the headboard, and found instantly that being around your own belongings had helped. 

You put on some ambient music, letting it become background noise as you chipped away at your work, first finishing all your math worksheets, and then moving on to Chemistry. 

  
  


A frown set on your lips as you peered over your notes. You pulled your phone out and opened your message app.

In your first ever message to Kate, you said,

  
  


_ Hey, I’m a disaster human and I forgot to write down how far we need to read in Chemistry _

  
  
  


You stood and made yourself a cup of coffee while you waited for her reply, and as you stirred the milk in, you heard your phone buzz. 

  
  


**_Kate:_ **

_ shit thanx for reminding me. I think it’s from pg 10 - 25. Think we’ll get quizzed on it or should i skip it?  _

  
  


You flipped your book open to page ten and skimmed the first paragraph. When the topic seemed familiar, you shot her back,

_ I’m guessing we will honestly. But what’s more fun than Air Analysis? _

  
  
  


**_Kate:_ **

_ Literally anything, right? _

  
  
  


You huffed a laugh and just messaged her back a smug-looking emoji. 

  
  


She was right. It was terribly boring. You tried as hard as you could to retain what you were reading, but by the time you got to page 25, you weren’t entirely sure you’d pass a quiz on the topic. 

  
  


You hadn’t realized how late it was getting until your stomach started growling. The clock on your nightstand read 9:45 pm.

Luckily, the kitchen cupboards were pretty full. You mulled it over for a moment before reaching for a box of pasta and a jar of red sauce. 

The water was almost at a boil when you heard the key slide into the lock on the front door. 

  
  


When it swung open, Josh landed his eyes on you and grinned. 

  
  


“What’s up?” he asked cheerily. 

  
  


You giggled at his obviously drunken state. “Not much. How was the party?”

  
  


Closing the door and locking it behind him, he replied, “Pretty fun. A little crazy.”

  
  


“Yeah?” you asked rhetorically through a smile. “Are you hungry?”

  
  


He nodded back at you, slinging his jacket over the back of the couch. 

  
  


“Well, you picked a great time then. Spaghetti?” 

  
  


He hummed, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge next to you. “Perfect.” 

  
  


It quiet for a moment as he watched you pour the pasta in and work the noodles until they were fully submerged. 

  
  


“How did you get home?” 

  
  


“Got a ride,” he assured with a warm look. “What did you get up to? Not just homework, I hope.”

  
  


“What else would I be doing?” you asked with a huff. 

  
  


He shrugged innocently at you, taking a swipe of sauce off the inside of the lid with his finger. You flicked your eyes over at him.

  
  


“I probably should make some friends,” you admitted, a teasing tone painting the words. 

  
  


As you went to grab the strainer out of the top cupboard, you felt a hand on your shoulder. It had taken you aback a bit; that was the first time Josh had ever touched you. You paused what you were doing to meet his eyes. 

  
  


He was giving you an honest looking smile. “I’m your friend,” he said, almost as an offering - like it wasn’t much more than a consolation prize. 

  
  


You smiled back at him, feeling suddenly very warm and happy. You weren’t sure what to say, so you just pressed your side against his and savored the moment. 

  
  


You weren’t sure if he’d remember it in the morning, but it didn’t really matter. 


	4. Chapter 4

The weekend had come with the prediction for cooler weather. You had complained about it on the couch as you brought up the weather app on your phone. He had quickly reminded you that 62 degrees was not cold. Not even chilly, by Michigan standards, but that’s just about the coldest it ever got back where you were from. 

It had been a tradition for Josh to put in a DVD of cartoons on Saturday morning, and you had to admit, you kind of liked it. It was one of the many things he did that was delightfully soft. He didn’t ever seem to take himself too seriously, which you had been guilty of for nearly your whole life. He was really beginning to remind you of the lighter side of life, and you couldn’t say that you minded. 

After breakfast, you sat on the opposite end of the couch as him, reading what parts of your presentation you had put together. 

“The content is good so far, but you’re still not looking up from your paper.”

  
  


You chanced a glance up at him, giving a defeated look. “I’m nervous,” you admitted, setting your notebook down in your lap. 

  
  


“It’s just me,” he assured, placing a hand over his chest. “You just have to make a connection with your audience.” 

  
  


You gave him a frown, reaching up to anxiously tuck a strand of hair behind your ear. “How?”

  
  


“Well,” he started, leaning across the couch. He wrapped his finger and thumb around your chin and tilted your head up until you were looking straight at him. You wanted to laugh, but you had a feeling it would come out sounding nervous. “It helps to improve your posture, first off. You want to be straight but not rigid, so let’s loosen up a bit.”

He mimicked shaking out the tension, so you followed suit, trying to be more fluid. You hadn’t noticed how tight you were before.

“And think about this presentation in the context of ‘I have information that will be really valuable to these people’.”

  
  


You groaned, curling your knees up to your chest and setting your chin on them. “It seems like it comes so effortlessly to you.” 

  
  


He gave you a little smile, raking his teeth across his bottom lip absently. “Well, it doesn’t. Confidence comes from yourself, yah know? It’s all about tricking people into believing that they should like you and want to listen to you. “Humans are weird that way.”

  
  


You gave a hum, nodding. It all sounded good in theory.

  
  


“The next time you read me this paper, pretend that you’re a top executive at an important company and you’re trying to convince me about the importance of your subject.”

  
  


You couldn’t help but crack a smile. “Oh, you wanna role play?” 

  
  


He snorted, giving you a playful eye roll. 

  
  


+++

  
  


On Sunday, you had planned to do chores - you had even started a little calendar for you two to follow. This week it was supposed to be your turn to do laundry, but since you weren’t anywhere near close to finishing your paper, Josh had graciously offered to switch chores so you wouldn’t have to leave the house. You had sent him out with two full baskets of laundry, indescribably grateful that you wouldn’t have to brave the cold. 

After taking a relaxing shower, you were posted up in your room, absently tapping the eraser of your pencil against the side of your notebook as you reread through a paragraph in your textbook. You went to jot down a note when a knock on the door caused you to jump a bit. 

As you made your way to the living room, you had assumed it must just have been Josh, not able to grab out his key while juggling all of the laundry too. You had told him to message you when he was leaving the laundromat so you could help him, but he wasn’t the best at following instructions. 

As you swung the door open, your body went rigid, because standing before you seemed to be a clone of your roommate, except his long, silky looking hair fell around his shoulders and over his chest. Some of the slopes of his face were a bit off too, and his outfit seemed to be one of the very last things Josh would ever wear.

  
  


You opened your mouth to say something, but not a single word came to mind. Instead, you opted to reach up and pull the towel from your head, letting your damp hair slip down around your face. 

  
  


His eyebrows raised at you expectantly, a humored smirk playing across his lips. 

  
  


“Uh, hey,” he offered. “Josh here?” 

  
  


You broke your eyes away from him, shaking your head. “No, sorry, he went to do laundry. You must be his brother.”

  
  


He nodded at you as you stepped out of the way for him to enter. “You must be his new roommate.” 

  
  


“Newish,” you agreed, raking your fingers through your locks and trying to make it look slightly more put together for company. “Can I get you some coffee?” 

  
  


“That sounds great,” he agreed, shooting you a smile. 

  
  


You were sitting in the living room with him, chatting easily about school when Josh fumbled his way through the door, his frame hidden behind a stack of laundry baskets. You rushed over to help him, setting your mug on the coffee table. Once the top basket was out of his arms, he was easily able to set the other one down on the hardwood. 

  
  


“Okay, it’s all done except I didn’t fold anything.”

  
  


“Uh, that’s fine,” you laughed breathlessly. “We have company.”

  
  


His eyes flicked up to Jake’s form, sitting- no, lounging- on the couch. He was practically melted into the worn cushions, and his ease made you a little envious. He seemed like the kind of person that never looked out of place. 

  
  


“How’s it going?” Josh asked as he stood from his bent position. 

  
  


Jake shrugged in return but paired it with a smile that told you all you needed to know about how it was going. “I just wanted to get my wallet back.”

  
  


“Oh, shit, right.” Josh disappeared into his room, and the sound of him talking himself through where he put it was clearly audible in the living room. When he returned it to Jake's waiting hand, he gave a half-hearted apology. 

  
  


“Why did you have his wallet?” you chanced through a suspicious smile.

He rubbed at the back of his neck sheepishly, his cheeks suddenly taking on a flushed tone. “I, uh. Had a lot to drink at that party the other night and mistook it for mine.”

  
  


“Even though they look nothing alike,” Jake chimed in cheekily before continuing on in a more genuine tone than you’d heard him use thus far. “It was nice to see you having a good time though.”

  
  


You had been amusedly watching Josh react to the ribbing until the last bit of Jake’s comment. His features leveled out instantly, slipping from the obvious enjoyment of attention to something more somber. 

  
  


In an effort to turn the tide, you stood and gestured toward the kitchen. “Jake, did you want to stay for lunch?” 

  
  


He shook his head at you politely. “I have plans in a bit, but could I take a rain check?” 

  
  


“Of course,” you agreed. The goodbyes were simple and didn’t drag on, and as soon as Jake was gone, Josh cocked his head at you.

  
  


“So. What’s for lunch?” 

  
  


You snorted a laugh at him, having expected something more informatory. “I’m not sure. What would you like?” 

  
  


“Should I make us some salad or something?” 

  
  


You shook your head at him, giving him a sour look. “No way I’m letting you make lunch - you just did all of the laundry.”

  
  


He gave you a bright-looking smile in return, looking pretty pleased for the recognition. “Were you able to get any homework done?”

  
  


“Not really,” you admitted with a slight cringe. “Jake showed up as I was getting out of the shower.”

  
  


“Ah yeah, he can pop up at really inconvenient times.”

  
  


You shot him a smirk over your shoulder as you pulled a head of lettuce from the fridge and started ripping it apart. “I’m going to assume you share that trait as well.”

  
  


“Who, me?” he teased, leaning forward onto his elbows on the kitchen counter. 

  
  


You paused, unsure how to continue with the question you wanted to ask. 

  
  


“Do you and him...have a good relationship?” 

  
  
  


His brows furrowed, his mouth setting into a puzzled line. “Yeah, _ I _ think so anyway. Why do you ask?”

  
  


You bit your bottom lip, turning to look at him face to face. “It just seemed to get a little tense there at the end.” Your fingers reached up to tuck a lock of your hair behind your ear. “Is there something I should know about?”

  
  


He gave you (what you can only assume was meant to be) a reassuring smile as he placed his hand on your shoulder. His skin felt warm against you, even through the fabric of your long-sleeved shirt. 

  
  


“There’s nothing you need to worry about.” 

  
  


You hadn’t been convinced until you actually looked into his eyes, somehow finding a pleasant warmth in the deep honey color. 

  
  


So when you gave him an “okay”, you actually meant it. 

You turned to him again after a moment with a sly look. “Hey, is your brother single?”

  
  


Just as you had expected, his eyebrows shot up in a dumbstruck look. You watched him open and close his mouth a few times before he figured out how to speak again, but this time with a smirk. “I mean, he’s always at least  _ kinda _ single, I think.”

  
  


You nodded amusedly. You had gotten that kind of vibe from him as well. 

  
  


“Why, are you thinking of moving in on him?” he tried, crossing his tan arms over his chest. 

  
  


You feigned a surprised look. “Who, me?” you asked, mimicking what he had said to you just moments before. “Nah, that sounds messy. I’m actually thinking maybe for Kate. She seems like she wouldn’t want anything too serious.”

  
  


He lets out a breathy laugh as he nods. “Then she sounds like the girl for him.” 

  
  


You hummed contentedly as you let a few olives drop into the salad bowl. “And what if she wants some kind of Romeo to sweep her off her feet and treat her like a princess?” 

  
  


Your tone had been as light as a feather but when he smiled wide enough to show you his pearly teeth, it nearly knocked the breath from your lungs.

  
  


“Then she sounds like the girl for me.” 

  
  


+++

  
  


“Okay. So you’re saying he showed up while you were in the shower?” Kate was looking at you with the highest amount of interest you’d seen her give anything thus far. “And...he saw you naked?”

  
  


You laughed a little louder than you should have in the semi-quiet classroom. “No, are you even listening to me? It’s not a rom-com, it was just a normal situation.”

  
  


“Okay, so. What’s going to happen?” She was still looking at you like she expected you to tell her some grand story.

  
  


“Well, I was thinking about giving him  _ your _ number. Then he could see you naked and you could tell  _ me _ about it.” You flashed her a cheeky smile to pair with your teasing tone.

  
  


She sat back in her chair, wrapping her arms around her frame. Her eyes were fixed on the dark slate of the tabletop, looking like she had a lot to take in. After a brief moment of dragging her teeth over her bottom lip in thought, she replied, “Yes. That seems perfectly acceptable. But then can you also see Josh naked and tell me about it? I have a theory about twins I want to test out.”

  
  


You gave her a playful look of disgust. “If that ever did happen - and it would be an accident, if it did - I would definitely not tell you about it.”

  
  


She rolled her eyes lovingly at you. “I think you’d be surprised.” 

  
  


“With what-” 

  
  


Your question was cut off by the boisterous greeting of your professor as he entered the room. She shot you a triumphant smirk after effectively having had the last word. 

  
  


As she walked you out at the end of class you asked her, “Do you want to have lunch with us today?” 

  
  


“Hmm.” She pretended to ponder it for a moment. “Yes. But do you both want to come with me to Subway instead of eating here?”

  
  


You gave her a frown. “I’d love to, but our money is pretty tight.”

  
  


She flashed you a smile that made you feel warm and fuzzy as she materialized a black credit card from the pocket of her mom jeans. “My daddy’s buying.”

  
  


+++

  
  


You had texted Josh to meet you by the D doors on the south side of the building for lunch, and you and Kate waited there until you saw him round the corner. He gave you both a smile and a little wave as he got closer. 

  
  


“Kate, right?” he asked, holding his hand out for her to take. “She talks a lot about you.”

  
  


She grins over at you, making you smile awkwardly. “I’ve seen you around at parties, but it's nice to meet you for real. She talks about you a lot too.”

  
  


Your eyes widen at that and despite yourself, you can feel your cheeks turning pink. 

  
  


“Yes, yes, I’m very fond of the both of you, now can we go?” you ask, trying to appropriately portray your annoyance as you usher them toward the parking lot. 

  
  


“Shotgun?” she asks you as you approach a beat-up sedan. You nod in agreement and hop into the front seat. 

  
  


As Josh shuffles into the back, he leans forward between the front seats. “So, you’re buying us lunch?”

  
  


“My dad is” she informs, meeting his eyes through the rearview mirror as she starts the engine. “He gave me a credit card for emergencies, so I can’t do it very often, but every now and then I’ll treat myself to some takeout and a bottle of nice shampoo.”

  
  


You hum, smiling over at her. “That’s why your hair always looks so nice, huh?”

  
  


She flicks it back, but it’s short and silky enough that it doesn’t catch on her shoulder. “Well, that and genetics. I’ll let you use it if you come sleep over some time.”

  
  


“Me too?” Josh teased, earning him an eye roll from her and a huffy laugh from you. 

  
  


+++

  
  


It was later, back at the apartment, that he finally said something about your lunch experience. The both of you were full from dinner and posted up on the couch, an open textbook on your lap and a notebook off to the side. You were supposed to be working on one of the three chapters you were meant to be taking notes from, but you had been pleasantly distracted watching Penny lazily swim around in her bowl on the coffee table. You found it rather charming that if Josh was in the house the goldfish usually wasn’t too far away from him. 

  
  


“Hey,” he started, plucking the pencil from your fingers and laying it along the spine of your notebook. You met his eyes curiously. “Thank you for inviting me to lunch today.”

  
  


You gave him a look. “Of course. I like having you along.”

  
  


He smiled down at his hand, rested on top of the blanket between the two of you. 

  
  


“She seems like a good friend. You should invite her over here. I can even vacate - leave the apartment for you guys.”

  
  


“That is absolutely not necessary. You could be a bro and invite Jake over some time. And if that happens to be when Kate is here then maybe that’s just a happy coincidence.” 

  
  


He snorted a laugh. “Wow, you really want that to happen, huh?” 

  
  


“Okay, honestly. I half want it because I think he's handsome and they’d get along, and the other half is because I love that their couple name would be Jakate.”

  
  


He frowned over at you, eyes squinted. “There’s a lot to unpack there. Firstly, you think he’s handsome? And secondly, why wouldn’t you simplify it to Jate?”

  
  


“Hmm. Yes, obviously he’s handsome - I know he’s your brother but even you have to know that.”

  
  


He quirked an eyebrow at you but didn’t say anything else. 

  
  


“And their full first names fit together so perfectly. Why would you waste that?” 

  
  


He smiled as he absently picked up your pencil and drew a tiny circle on your notebook paper. 

  
  


After a moment of silence, you asked him, “What was it like growing up here?”

  
  


His eyes flicked up to meet yours for only a moment before they were back on his doodle. 

  
  


“Well,” he started, tilting his mouth down on one side as he tried to find the correct words. “I didn’t grow up exactly here - about an hour away.”

  
  


You smiled at him, prompting him to continue. 

  
  


“It was nice. We had a great childhood, a nice home, lots of love and attention.” 

  
  


It was quiet for a beat as you watched him draw a smiley face inside of the little circle (facing your way, so it was a little sloppy, but you thought that made it even cuter).

  
  


“I’m excited to see snow.”

  
  


He looked up at you with an inquisitive grin. “You’ve never seen snow before?”

  
  


You shrugged at him. “Only in movies.”

  
  


He gave you a breathy laugh. “You’re going to love it,” he promised. “At least for the first couple of days, then it gets old and you start to miss the sun.”

  
  


You knew what you wanted to say, but it took you longer than you’d like to admit to work up the courage to get the words out. 

  
  


“Being around you is like having your own personal sun.” 


	5. Chapter 5

It was undeniable that winter was on its way. The weekend brought predictions for temps in the lower 40’s and, even in the warmth of the apartment, you felt perpetually chilled.

Kate had messaged you late on Friday asking if you wanted to get coffee Saturday morning, and you had excitedly agreed to meet her at the local cafe called The Daily Grind (which, admittedly, you chose because of the cute name).

She had seen you bundled up like a burrito in two sweatshirts and a long-sleeved tee underneath and laughed, but you explained to her how you had never really been in temps this cold before. 

Your fingers were wrapped as tight as they could go around your mocha as you watched her sip her black coffee, her maroon-painted lips leaving a mark on the white mug. 

  
  


“When we’re done here, would you want to go with me to a thrift store? My mom sent some money for me to buy warmer clothes when she saw the weather for this area,” you said with an excited tone. “She’s afraid I’m going to get pneumonia.”

  
  


She hummed in an interested tone. “That sounds like fun. Which one do you wanna check out first?”

  
  


“You’ve been around here longer, so I’ll let you pick.”

  
  


“The one on Maple is the one where all the rich sorority girls go, so I bet you’d find some good stuff there,” she informed, tapping her nails against the ceramic.

  
  


You beamed a smile, relishing in the sunny feeling that only spending time with other girls gave you. “You wanna drive or me?”

  
  


+++

  
  


“Do you think if I buy a pair of jeans a size too big I could get away with wearing leggings under them?” you asked, flicking through the hangers. “I feel like the wind here cuts right through my denim.”

  
  


“Maybe two sizes bigger so you can wear sweatpants.” You knew she was teasing you by her playful tone, but that was actually kind of brilliant, you thought. “You should try this one.”

  
  


You had to get onto your tippy toes to see her over the long rack. She was holding up a soft-looking sweater, multicolored horizontal stripes running across the fabric. The color pattern reminded you of Twiggy from the ’60s. 

  
  


“It’s cute,” you agreed, taking it as she handed it to you. By the time you were ready for a fitting room, you had a pile of things and the employee on duty looked not very excited to have to put them back when you were done, but luckily she wouldn’t have to. Pretty much everything fit perfectly.

  
  


You were shocked to see the total - where you were from, all of that would have been well over $60, even second hand, but you ended up forking over a measly $35, and you figured most of that total was from the nearly new jacket you had found.

  
  


As she was driving you back to the coffee shop, you exclaimed giddily, “I’m so excited to have warm clothes. Now Josh can finally have his sweatshirts back.”

  
  


She looked over at you surprisedly. “That’s Josh’s?”

  
  


“Yeah, he gave me three and I’ve been alternating between them.” You reached forward to turn her radio up a notch, Janet Jackson’s “All For You” perking your ears. 

  
  


“Are you sure he wants them back?” she asked, giving you a coy smile that you didn’t understand. 

  
  


You adopted a puzzled look. If she was alluding to something, it was lost on you. “Why wouldn’t he? They’re still perfectly fine - I was even careful not to get my perfume on them.”

  
  


Now stopped at a red light, she turned to give you a squinty look until she seemed to realize you were serious. “Nevermind,” she relented, smirking forward at the road. 

  
  


When you got back home, Josh was gone. You shot him a message inquiring as to his whereabouts and started snipping the tags off of your new clothes with a pair of pruning shears. You were exponentially grateful for the fact that the washing machine in your building had been repaired - and with a shocking amount of haste too. 

The smell of the laundry room down the hall was pleasant. It reminded you of the times when your mom would wash all the towels and blankets in the house, and that was a job that either required a laundromat, or an entire day switching loads. 

At the end of your shopping day, you made out with three new sweaters, two pairs of thicker jeans, a new coat, a winter hat, and an actual pajama set, which would be infinitely warmer than the shorts and tank top you’d moved in with.

You cheerily popped your new clothes into the washer, along with a tide pod, some of your bras and underwear, and closed the lid. 

  
  
  
  


Around 1 pm, Josh still wasn’t back and hadn’t replied, so you decided it was a perfect time to work on some self-care. The yoga mat you had packed had yet to see the light of day in Michigan, so you dug it out, unrolled it in your room, changed into some easy clothing, and pulled up a beginner’s tutorial on your phone. By the thirty-minute mark, you were sweating and tired, but the stretch in your muscles was oddly pleasant on top of the discomfort, so you pushed yourself to keep going until the video was done. The cute blonde running the tutorial suggested you take some time in your cool down to look inward, as she thought that was a big part of yoga. So, you laid there on the mat, staring up at your ceiling for a good, long while, just taking time to reflect and enjoying it. 

Your room, and the whole apartment really, had become home so quickly. You hadn’t ever had the opportunity to test the theory before, but you had always imagined that leaving home would make you feel out of place. 

  
  


But you didn’t.

  
  


Sure, you missed home in the way that any human that came from a loving and supporting family would, but you were expecting to ache for it. You had taken a long time in your backyard and in your favorite spot back home, just so you could have a final fix, but all that was to you now was a fond memory.

  
  


After a few moments of being alone with your thoughts, you were going to get up and take a shower, but you had decided to postpone it. While you were staring up at the ceiling, you realized that there was a lot of unused space that the sun hit toward the top of the room. Wasted sun was a felony in your book. You spent about an hour pulling down your curtain rod, removing the fabric, and replacing it with hanging pots of all sizes and lengths. 

Your string of hearts, your pearls, your golden pothos - the thought of them being the first thing you saw when you opened your eyes in the morning was one that made you feel sentimental. You’d just have to be careful with watering. 

Once you were satisfied with the placements, you made your way to the bathroom. As you waited for the shower to heat up to a tolerable temperature, you took some time to pluck any stray hairs around your eyebrows and gently brush the knots out of your hair. Self-care had always felt like a long term investment to you - one well worth it. 

The warm spray of the shower felt amazing on your tired muscles, so you took your sweet time getting clean and enjoying it, then blow-drying your hair on low heat when you were finished. After, you excitedly got out your new pajama set, clipped the tags, and put it on.

Shortly thereafter, you heard a key slip into the lock on the front door. You were cuddled up on the couch, enjoying the feel of the soft fabric on your freshly scrubbed skin as you watched through the complete second season of the Simpsons, popcorn in your lap. 

When he stepped into the house, he raised his eyebrows at you, surveying the area. 

  
  


“What?” you asked, giving him a confused look. 

  
  


“Just looking for the books and the homework.” You rolled your eyes at him before he continued on with, “I just always assumed that when I wasn’t around, you were doing boring, adult things.”

  
  


You gave him a playful shrug as you gestured to the noticeably book free space around you. 

  
  


He squinted at you suddenly. “Are you in your pajamas? You know it’s like 3:30 in the afternoon, right?”

  
  


“They’re new!” you quipped. “And I was excited to wear them. You don’t have to be jealous, you could go get yours on and join me.”

  
  


The offer seemed to be tempting him. “I have a better idea. How about you go change, and we’re going to go to a party tonight.”

  
  


You scowled at him, crossing your arms over your chest. “Are you crazy? I’m already in my  _ pajamas _ . I’ve already taken my bra off! Once it’s off, it doesn’t go back on.”

  
  


He laughed, loud and unabashed, showing you all of his teeth. The sound made your cheeks flush. 

  
  


“C’mon, I bet Kate will be there,” he reasoned. “And I obviously will be. And I’m positive Jake will be too. This might be your chance to get them to hook up.”

  
  


You bit your bottom lip in consideration. “The timing would be kinda perfect; she could have the whole day tomorrow to process it and then tell me about it on Monday.”

  
  


He was smirking at you when you looked back up at him, making you tuck your hair behind your ear anxiously. “If I come, do you promise not to leave me alone?”

  
  


He nodded at you confidently. “I will not leave you.”

  
  
  
  
  


The very first thing you did was message Kate. It was vital that she was there, just in case Josh got too drunk to remember his promise. You didn’t have a hard time socializing, per-say. You were just nervous about your first real social event here. 

Josh was right though - it wouldn’t kill you to make some more friends.

When you were in the bathroom brushing your teeth, Kate messaged back saying that she would never miss getting to see you drunk, and you didn’t have the heart to tell her you had to drive, so you opted to leave that part out. You worked on picking out a good, sensible outfit and took your time to put on makeup again. Admittedly, it felt kind of nice - you used to wear a full beat all the time, but somewhere along the line it started to feel tedious, which is something you never wanted any of your favorite things to feel, so you put the whole idea of it on the shelf for a while. 

When you finally emerged from your room around 8, Josh was sitting on the kitchen counter, phone in his hands as he furiously typed out a message. You listened to the pleasant sound of his fingers tapping on the glass screen for a moment before speaking. 

  
  


“Who are you messaging?” you asked, but it didn’t grab his full attention right away. 

  
  


“Just one of the other theater guys,” he said through a near sneer. The only time you ever saw him looking distressed was when it came to his production. “Trying to tell me what I can and can’t do with my  _ own _ production-”

  
  


When he looked up at you the rest of his thoughts seemed to escape him, all the emotion in his face and posture crumbling away. 

  
  


You folded your hands together, giving him a concerned look. “Are you okay?”

  
  


He tucked his phone into the pocket of his pants, abandoning whatever he had been so intent on doing just seconds ago.

  
  


“Yeah, I just haven’t ever seen you dressed up before.” 

  
  


The extra attention made you slump back against the hallway wall, giving him a nervous grimace. Through pursed lips, you asked, “Is it too much?”

  
  


His eyes popped open, along with his mouth. It took him a moment to speak actual words - like he wanted to say a lot all at once. “What? No! I’m just stupid,” he assured, running his fingers through his curls. “It took my brain a moment to process.”

  
  


You gave him a forgiving smile, opening the fridge and grabbing out a carton of juice. He watched as you took a swig, letting you swallow before asking, “Do you want me to drive?” 

  
  


Your eyebrows raised in surprise, finger swiping away a stray droplet. “ _ Can _ you?” 

  
  


“Drive?” he laughed. “Yes. I can drive.”

  
  


“Legally?” you pressed, handing over the carton to him when you caught him eyeing it. He took a drink right from the spout as well, giving you a wink that made you lovingly roll your eyes.

  
  


+++

  
  


You two seemed to unintentionally match. He was in a pair of khaki pants, a black long-sleeved shirt, and a denim jacket on top. You were positive he was going to freeze solid one of these days because he always seemed to be way underdressed for the weather.

  
  


As you went to get out of the car, he stopped you with a touch to your knee. “You should take off your jacket and hat and leave them in here; I wouldn’t ever trust leaving them unattended at a party.” He paused before speaking again. “Not that anyone would necessarily steal them, just that people get drunk and think stuff is theirs.”

  
  


“Like you did with the wallet?” you teased, making him rub at the back of his neck. 

  
  


“Yes,” he said pointedly through a grin. “Like that.”

  
  


He held the sleeve of your jacket as you shrugged out of it, abandoning it into the back seat. You took just a second to mourn the fact that it would be cold when you went to put it back on.

In the rearview mirror, you fixed your hair, having been mussed by the removal of your hat, and then stepped out. He ushered you along first, reaching past you and pushing the door open for you when you had reached it. The music hit you like a wall, loud and energetic - followed quickly by the smell of alcohol. A cloud of smoke hung subtly near the ceiling, giving the room an air of mystery. You realized you hadn’t made a move to enter the house when you felt his hand on the middle of your back. 

  
  


“Everything okay?” he asked, just above the volume of the music. You nodded, feeling silly for holding him up, and stepped inside. 

People were moving to the music like blood reacting to a heartbeat, swaying around to the rhythms all in a pleasant unison. The scene was oddly hypnotic as the colors danced around. 

The second that people could see Josh behind you, they started calling his name. Your stomach lurched for a second, scared that he was either going to leave you or drag you to a group that you didn’t know, but he waved them off instead. 

“I’ll catch you guys in a minute,” he shouted through a grin so charming they couldn’t seem to muster up a shred of annoyance toward him. Then, he spoke the next part right against your ear. “You want a drink?” 

  
  


“Just one,” you agreed with a nod, shivering ever so slightly as his breath hit your cheek. 

  
  


In the kitchen, huddled around an island covered by bottles, was a group of people, all very visibly drunk. One of those people was Kate, dressed in a crisp looking pair of jeans, a white crop top, and a red checkered flannel shirt, left open to expose her midriff. 

  
  


When she caught sight of you, she gave you a big, toothy smile. The sharp fringe of her bob moved just enough to sometimes expose a pair of gold disk earrings. 

  
  


“Need a drink?” she asked as she broke away from the rest of the crowd. “I’ll make it for you.”

  
  


You put your hands up, laughing at her enthusiasm. “I’m going to let Josh make it for me,” you informed, knowing full well that she would make it strong enough to get you drunk and keep you in that state for the whole evening. 

The one that Josh ended up making for you was, undeniably, a rum and Coke. Not your most favorite thing ever, but then again, this one was mostly just Coke. You made a mental note to thank him for being so considerate.

The three of you ended up in the living room, right in the throws of all the action. You’d been to a few parties back home, but this felt kind of different. Back home, it was always hot, so the parties usually spilled out into the yard in all directions. Come to think of it, you’d never been to a party where the guests weren’t making prominent use of the pool. But here everyone was packed in tightly, making a large house feel tiny. 

Kate found you all a nice little corner with a love seat and some kind of weird puff you think you were meant to put your feet on. Settling in there meant you’d have to share the space with a couple of other people, but it felt worth it to not be standing in the middle of the room. Being out in the open made you feel nervous - like you were being circled by sharks. 

The songs changed, but the beat seemed to stay pretty much the same, making it easy for the time to slip by without your acknowledgment. By the time you checked your watch, it was nearly eleven.

True to his word, Josh didn’t leave your side the whole night. People kept popping in and out to get a word with him. You couldn’t hear them well because he was sat across from you, but he was laughing quite a bit. Some of it looked kind of forced, but most of it seemed genuine - like he was actually having a nice time. 

It wasn’t until you were close to getting ready to leave that you saw Jake making his way down the stairs, one hand on the wooden railing to steady himself and the other wrapped around a red cup. You flashed him a smile when his eyes landed on you, and he gave you one back, giving you a feather-light punch to your shoulder when he reached you. 

  
  


“Move over,” he demanded in Josh’s direction, sitting nearly on top of him on the couch, with only light complaints from his twin. 

  
  


“You smell like sex,” Josh said through a fake grimace, pressing his elbow into Jake’s ribs. 

  
  


“Can’t imagine why,” Jake responded with a smirk, lifting the cup to his lips as you giggled at him. 

  
  


The realization struck you as his eyes landed on Kate next. “Oh, Jake, this is my friend Kate. Kate, Jake Kiszka.”

  
  


She reached out and took his hand to shake and at the same moment, Josh laid his hand on your leg and through a grin, asked, “Should we take off?”

  
  


You laughed, giving him a nod. 

  
  


“Kathrine, Jacob,” Josh started, clapping his hands together in front of him. “We are leaving. See you guys soon?”

  
  


“We should actually get tacos,” Kate stated seriously to the group as a whole, and then just to Josh said, “And my name is Kathleen.”

**Author's Note:**

> find more of me at garbagevanfleet.tumblr.com


End file.
